A Place of My Own
by ForrestLupin
Summary: Teddy Lupin is finished with Hogwarts, his youth quickly coming to an end. The years have been kind to him, but not overly so. It's time for Teddy to find a place in the world for himself, and someone to love.


_Hello everyone, Forrest here! I started writing this in January of '09, and it was pretty much abandoned as a bad idea. I'm gonna throw up the first (and maybe second) chapter of this so far, and if there's positive response, I'll keep going. So! Thanks for taking the time to read, read, read! (And please review!)__

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A Place of My Own

Chapter 1-Time to Say Goodbye

Teddy smiled as he looked out onto the horizon from the top of Ravenclaw Tower. The lake glistened beautify in the sunrise and he heaved a great sigh before turning away. Everyone else was down at breakfast by this time, and he was left alone in the airy dormitory. The windows were left open, letting a soft breeze caress the room with the scent of fresh air. Blue and Silver hangings topped each of the four beds in the room. Teddy ran his thin fingers over the now empty beds. His roommates had made them before they left for breakfast as a present for the House Elves on their last day of term. The young metamorphomagus was saddened that he d be leaving this tower for the last time tonight. It had been a home for him, one of the only he knew.

Harry and Ginny had taken great care of their godson these last seventeen years, but Teddy always felt as if he were imposing. There was a picture perfect life that the Chosen One and his Wife were meant to lead, that they deserved to lead, but after all the years of coming home to Grimmauld Place for the holidays, he d quickly learned that an extra mouth to feed didn t fit into the land of milk and honey the Potter s deserved. After today that would change. He d been left Remus Lupin s, My Father s he quickly reminded himself, house when he became of age, and that was his new destination.

Teddy wiped a tear from his brown eyes before he left the dormitory, his cold hands twisting the well worn brass doorknob with a rather defeated air. As he walked slowly down the stairs, he began to fight off tears. He d be leaving the place that brought him his friends. He d never again wake up to the sound of Thomas s loud snores, or a pillow thrown across the room by Nick. No more tossing and turning from Mark during thunderstorms, and no more lake view from a tower. Ravenclaw was who he was, and Teddy feared that losing that was a step behind losing himself.

The young Lupin shook his head, long pink bangs fell into his face, and he allowed his features to rearrange themselves into a sad smile. Teddy had been given a photo album with pictures of his parents when he came of age. He d taken to imitating their features, the brown eyes for his father, his hair the shade of pink that was customary for his mother. Tonks. He thought silently to himself, I wonder if she would have liked me. For that matter, I wonder if she would approve of her son styling himself after her. Teddy forced himself to continue on, not dwelling on the wonderings of an orphaned child. He knew he had a few things to do before he left, and was determined to do them now, if for no reason but to take his mind off of the bed s he d never return to.

Teddy climbed down the grand staircase, each step echoing in the silence. He looked back and forth as he walked, admiring each of the portraits. Some of them waved at him as he walked, a gesture that had happened before, but Teddy had only recently begun to appreciate it. Once he reached the bottom of the stairwell, he could hear the excited tones of speech coming from the Great Hall. With a little bit of determination, Teddy walked past, knowing that he d regret it if he didn t take this chance. The sun shone bright as if happy that Summer Holidays were beginning, yearning for the students that would bask in it s rays over the next months.

The Forbidden Forest bordered Hogwarts, Hagrid s cabin sitting on the side of it, a silent sentinel, keeping the balance between Civilization, and the wild branches of the Forest. The Forbidden Forest was off limits, but that didn t stop a Son of one of the Marauders. When he was a first year he d been dared by Mark to go in to prove that someone raised by Harry Potter wasn t a coward. To an eleven year old, the forest towered even more impressively than it did now. As Teddy took steps past the tree line, he remembered how frightened he d been. There were so many noises, and it was so dark. Then it hit him: This was the last time he d come here. Teddy had known, and lamented, the fact that Hogwarts would be gone to him, nothing but memories. But The Forbidden Forest was it was gone to him too. This was his last trip in, the last time he d see who he now came to say farewell to.

As Teddy walked on, his mind went back to the first trip into these woods. He d walked a few meters in and his fear had really started. He heard every crack of the twigs, every bird that flapped its wings, it was horrifying. He began to run in, farther and farther, trying to escape the sounds. In hindsight, Teddy thought, I suppose I should have run out instead of farther into the place that I feared. He remembered that every few feet he d look behind him, the trees whipping by as fast as his feet could take him. Then there was pain.

He had assumed at that time he d hit a tree and fallen, but as he regained his senses, he saw an almost human face above him. Before Teddy could scream, a voice had started to speak full speed. Hi! I m Alvin. You re a Human. My daddy says humans are scum. But you don t look like the stuff that forms on the top of ponds. Are you scum? You re not gonna hurt me, huh? I m a centaur. My daddy says centaurs are the best kind of beings ever. I don t think My daddy s right about human s, though, you don t look too bad. I really think you look nice. I like your hair. I ve never seen black hair before. All my friends have brown or yellow. Hey! Will you be my friend? Then I would have a friend with black hair. I even bet Avery would be jealous, that stupid mule. OH! Don t tell my daddy I used that word, he doesn t like the word mule he says it s beneath a centaur to say such filth. But, I don t know how a word can be filth. Did I tell you that I like your hair? Yeah. I think I did. Anyway, What s your name?

Teddy just stared at the creature crouching over him. He looked down at were a normal human s legs would be, but all that he could see was brown horse legs. He gasped loudly and looked back up at the creature s face. It was staring down at Teddy in the most quizzical way, he couldn t help but answer. Er I m Teddy. Teddy Lupin. Do you kno- But before he could get another word out, Alvin started talking again, the words pouring from his mouth like an overturned teacup.

Teddy! Great Name! Great Name! Did you come from that Big Castle over there? I bet you did. My daddy says that all those people are wizards . I don t know what that is, but I think you look okay. What were you running from anyway? That part of the forest isn t even scary! My daddy says that the scary part of the forest has big spiders in it. I heard once from Avery that the big spiders eat little centaurs. I don t think that s true, though. I think that the giant spiders are just bugs, and eat other bugs. Do you think they eat centaurs? I don t think so. So Teddy, do you wanna be my friend? I hope you do, you sound cool, and you even smell nice. Better than most stuff around here anyway.

Teddy was overwhelmed. All he could muster was the strength to stand up. That barely helped. The young centaur stood over him by about a foot. Teddy was short for his age at only a bit over 1.3 Meters, but this horse, or boy, or horse-boy was a large amount taller. This didn t help Teddy s mood out, but Harry had always taught him to try and be nice, no matter what. Alvin, I d love to be your friend! I m a wizard from the er castle over there. Teddy pointed in the general direction that Alvin had indicated. I m lost, and I have no idea how to get back. Would you help me get there? I need to get back before everyone starts to worry. Teddy s voice was shaky, but he hoped that Alvin would help him out, even if he was terrified. There was only so much that an eleven year old could do in this situation, so he did what he did best. Looked at the ground, changed his eyes to a tearful imitation of the puppy dog look, and then looked straight at Alvin.

Alvin stamped his back leg hard against the forest floor before answering, his head seemed to droop as he spoke the first few words, and there was even the trace of a sniffle in his voice. I would love to take you back, Teddy, but my daddy says that I m not allowed near the edge of the forest, because that s not our Territory. Please don t be mad at me Teddy; I still want you to be my friend. Turns out the puppy dog eyes work four times as well when a centaur does them.

Teddy patted Alvin s arm softly before answering. Don t be sad Alvin, I ll still be your friend. I j-just need out of here. How about you take me as far as you can, and point me in the right direction, I can walk from there. Teddy looked up at the centaur s brown eyes that were filled almost to the brim with tears that had yet to fall. Teddy felt horrid for having caused them. He smiled hopefully up at the boy and patted his arm.

I ll do it Teddy, but only if you promise to come back to see me. I don t have a lot of friends, and my daddy doesn t allow me to talk to strangers, so it s hard. Please come back Teddy? He looked sad, but there was something mingled with it. Anger? Frustration? Hope? Teddy couldn t tell, and all he could do was nod and agree to Alvin s terms. They began to walk from the way Teddy had came. This was the first time the young student had taken a close look at his new companion, and he saw that he wasn t as scary after some studies. Aside from the chestnut coloured horse body that sprouted from his torso, Alvin was a rather handsome boy that looked to be about Teddy s age. He had brown hair, and wild yellow eyes. His face was slanted, as if someone had taken a chisel and worked downward. Teddy smiled as he followed his new friend twards his school.

And he had come back. Every week, he d make a trip to visit Alvin. Now, however, may be his last time seeing his oldest friend. Teddy reached the sun-filled clearing in the forest and saw Alvin waiting for him. He was a lot taller now, as was Teddy. Alvin still towered over him, but now instead of worry and fear, there was a look of love in Alvin s eyes. They d become like brothers in the last seven years. Alvin broke the silence by galloping twards Teddy and lifting him up into a rib-bending hug. Teddy. I miss you every time you leave. It s so great to see you again, but really, pink hair? Your mother wouldn t have approved. Alvin set him down, his yellow eyes full of content. The mother remark would have sparked a punch from Teddy if anyone else had said it, but Alvin knew that he had rights others didn t. Besides, punch the son of the Centaur Chief, and you re in for hurt.

They d quickly realized that there was only one thing to be done with their friendship. Alvin had convinced his father to allow Teddy into the forest, this was after promising that he d carry a bow whenever they d see each other. Today, there was unspoken tension. Today seemed different, because they both knew this may be the last time they d meet in secret. No more tormenting the bloodcaps that climbed in and out of holes, no more discussion of centaurian philosophy, no more meetings in this heavenly clearing. Teddy soon realized his eyes were full of tears. I m going to miss you Alvin. You have no idea. I ll fly back whenever I can But I m not sure how often that will be with the new regulations on Wizard Flight over Hogwarts. You ve been so good to me, my dear friend. I still remember the day we met. I ll always remember you, even when you re not with me. Tears dripped from Teddy s brown eyes as he hugged the center of Alvin s body.

Alvin paused a bit before responding. He smiled down at Teddy before responding. I ve made you something to remember your time with me. I know it ll be hard for a while, but we ve always found a way. It ll be no different now. Just longer distance. Deep in Alvin s eyes there were tears, but Teddy knew they d come after he left. Alvin was always strong when he needed to be. He was always strong for Teddy. The centaur opened his hand and revealed a polished black stone. It was in a pocket that was made by a system of knots that only centaurs knew. It held better, and it never came undone. The stone was pure black, like the pupil of an eye, and the string itself seemed to sparkle. It s a stone that I found on the ground. It looked like it d been trampled for years, and hit was scratched and cracked. I shined it up, and laced it with Unicorn Hair. I thought you d like it. Alvin smiled modestly as he placed the necklace around Teddy s neck. Black had been Teddy s hair colour that brought them together, and it seemed to always remain Alvin s favourite. Teddy smiled and hugged his friend close.

They walked for a while, talking about memories, laughing, and of course Teddy cried. As the sun sunk in the sky Alvin grabbed Teddy and held him close. It s time for you to go now, Ted. Your train will be leaving soon. Be sure to owl, I ve not forgotten how to write, you were such a good teacher. I ll see you as soon as you can. Please Just make it quick. A single tear fell from Alvin s eye, a hereby unheard of event. It was too much for Teddy. He did all he could muster and nodded before turning his back to his friend. The young man walked away slowly, and heard hoof beats tumbling away, masking strings of tears when they fell to the forest floor.

What seemed like no time at all later, Teddy was aboard the Hogwart s Express. The crimson transporter was snaking along the tracks as it brought him closer to what he dread, the future. The sun dipped below the skyline as he continued on. Teddy changed reluctantly out of his Hogwarts Robes, wishing he could hold onto that part of his life for a bit longer. The black mass that was his outfit now sat on top of his trunk. It was posted with stickers from each year he d been at school. There wasn t very much space left of the pure brown leather.

As he watched the stars come out, Teddy looked for the centaur in the sky. He knew Alvin would be looking too. The train rolled to a stop just as he d spotted it. Teddy grabbed his trunk. He moved off the train with grace, hoping to fight back the tears he knew were coming. There would be no one waiting for him at the platform, he knew that much. He d asked the Potters not to wait for him, as he d be going straight to his new home. Home. Teddy thought, Will it really be home? Or just another house. A tear fell from his eyes, and was quickly followed with more. He took long, drawn out steps as he moved quietly twards the exit. The night sky rose above him as he moved out from the train station. Home. He said firmly. There s somewhere out there that I can call home. Teddy had inner doubts, but the fact that there was a place all his own comforted him. It was his father s, and now his. Maybe knowing that there was a place where he began comforted him, or maybe it was that a place that still held ounces of his parents, or maybe it was that a place was simply there, his own, where he didn t need to leech blood from a working family. London was so beautiful at night, and the centaur smiled brightly above it, signaling a new start.


End file.
